Jam's Quest: Wrath Of A Chef!
by The Arsenal 3.0
Summary: Complete! When Jam's restaurant is set ablaze she sets out on a strenuous journey to find the perpitrator!
1. Firestarter

**Note: **The following is a sort of humorous reimagining of Jam's storyline in GGX2. Think of it like a weird fourth storyline branch (kind of, sort of).

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Guilty Gear or any of its characters.

Ch. 1 Firestarter

There it sat, in between a donut shop and a strip club, what the owner frequently considered to be the greatest restaurant in the world. Customer abundance was a priority as several tables lined the windows and littered the floor. In addition, several round seats were provided at the counter should any customers run out of places to sit which never happened but you never know...

Jam along with her small staff couldn't help but admire the establishment that stood before them despite the failed attempts to gain funding in the past. The aforementioned staff included the bespectacled Lan who was the only male of the group, twins Yuumi and Fuumi who both sported medium lengthed hair and wore purple and red aprons respectively, Kei the only Japanese amongst the group who had long hair with a white headband and wore a sailor outfit, and the eight year old Sheri who had orange hair in pigtails and wasn't so much an employee as she was a helper which no one thought to question.

"Isn't she a beauty?" Jam asked no one in particular.

"It looks the same like it does any other day of the week," one girl answered.

"What's wrong, Kei?" Jam asked.

"I was hoping I'd relax this summer not get a job!" the Japanese girl complained.

"Look, just because our parents are friends and they made you come here doesn't mean we can't be friends!" Jam said, beaming. "I would have asked my cousin but she works at Interpol."

"Lucky me," Kei groaned.

Jam's eyes widened as she pointed down the street. "Hurry, the customers are coming! Take your places!" she ordered.

The head chef and the rest of the staff went into the kitchen while Kei hopped over the counter and put on an apron as a man in a brown business suit walked up.

"Welcome to Kuradoberi's Dish and Dine," Kei recited in a mechanical tone. "If you want nothing but the best then we have it because all the other restaurants are crap!" she said agressively.

The man raised an eyebrow at Kei's comment as he looked over the menu. "I uh...I guess I'll take a hot bun," he said.

"Is that it?" Kei asked.

"Um...yes," he said in an unsure tone.

"Damn, you're cheap. ONE HOT BUUUUUUUUUUN!!" Kei screamed towards the kitchen, startling the customer.

Sheri arrived from the kitchen with a bun in hand. "Here's one that's been pre-made!" she said sweetly.

"Thanks, Sheri," Kei replied as she wrapped it into a napkin. "That'll be five yen," she told the customer.

The man payed but looked at Kei strangely. "Um...you didn't have to wrap it up, I was going to eat it here," he said.

Kei immediately shot a glare that would make the dead tremble, causing the man to back away fearfully.

"I'll just...sit somewhere..." he said while backing towards the end of the counter.

Another customer entered the restaurant in the form of a twelve year old girl whose hair was tied in a ponytail.

"Welcome to Kuradoberi's Dish and Dine, we make nothing but the best."

The girl stared at the menu in a state of awe. "There's so many choices!" she exclaimed. "This is...gonna...be...tough...How are the egg rolls?!" she asked suddenly.

"What part of 'we make nothing but the best' did you not understand?" Kei asked.

"Then I'll take TWO!" the twelve year old replied holding up two fingers.

"TWO EGG ROLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSS!!" Kei screamed toward the kitchen.

On cue, Sheri arrived with two egg rolls in hand. "Here's two that have been pre-made!" she said.

Kei wrapped the rolls in a napkin and revealed the price, "Five yen!"

The customer from earlier stopped eating and looked up. "I pay five yen for a hot bun while she pays the same thing and gets two egg rolls?! he asked incredulously. "What a rip-off!"

As if she possessed superhuman hearing and speed, Jam was immediately at the counter eyeing the customer. "D...did I hear s...someone say r...RIP-OFF?!" she asked with a twitch in her eye.

"N...NO!" the man replied nervously. "I...I said take off! I was just leaving!" The customer was already out the door.

"Good! That's what I thought he said," Jam mumbled as she regained her composure and went back into the kitchen.

_Damn, that's a scary bitch! _Kei thought and laughed to herself.

Jam was immediately back at the counter. "OH MY GOSH!!" she exclaimed.

"WHAT?! YOU READ MY MIND?!" Kei asked fearfully.

The Japanese girl received a strange look that made her sweat but her fears were put at ease when the lead chef started laughing.

"You're so nutty!" Jam giggled. "Listen, I almost forgot that today's my grandmother's birthday!"

"The big one double-o, huh?" Kei asked.

"She's seventy."

Kei fell silent but forced a smile to lighten the mood.

"I'm going to go take her a plate. YOU keep an eye on things while I"m gone," Jam instructed.

"Yay."

"And try smiling more often, I don't want you scaring away the customers."

Kei muttered something to herself once Jam left the room but was interrupted by another customer.

"Excuse me?" a boy asked.

"Jam's place, what the hell do you want?!" Kei 'greeted.'

In the kitchen, Jam put various food on a plate and wrapped it in tin foil. She exited the side of the restaurant and looked both ways down the street before taking off to her right. She passed five houses before coming to an intersection and took a left. Jam stopped at another intersection and again took a left. Having passed five more houses, she stopped at the gate to her grandmother's and took a few moments to catch her breath. Jam would have loved to have driven a bicycle but unfortunately she never learned, nor did she think about buying one when funding her restaurant.

Jam pushed the gate open and walked up to the door. As she knocked, a familiar voice answered.

"No carolers! If anyone starts singing, I'll turn on the hose!"

"Grandma, it's me!" Jam responded. "And we're in the month of June!"

An elderly woman opened the door dressed in an apron and sported a hairstyle that answered the mystery of why Jam wore her own hair the way she did.

"Hmm...you're what's-her-name..." the old woman wondered.

"JAM!"

"Oh...of course, dear!" Grandma replied.

"I brought you a plate!" Jam said.

"Oh...thank you, dear!"

"How's grandpa?" Jam asked.

"One moment." The elder Kuradoberi walked over to the couch where an old man's leg was hanging off the side. She poked him with a broom prompting a loud snore before walking back over to Jam. "He's STILL ALIVE!" Grandma stated incredulously. "Won't you come in?"

"Um I can't, I'm working right now," Jam replied. "But I'll come by later!"

"Yes I'm SURE you will, that's what EVERYONE says! Then, next thing you know I'm spending my evenings alone with this sleeping chump!"

"I'll come by!" Jam repeated. "Bye, Grand..." The door slammed shut, cutting Jam off. "...ma. Oh well, back to work!"

The chef retraced her steps back to the restaurant when five houses away she noticed smoke.

"I wonder what unlucky sap caught their place on fire?" Jam wondered.

Four houses away.

"It's gotta be that filthy strip club!"

Three houses away.

"It's the donut shop, right?" Jam suddenly became fearful. _Please don't let it be what I think it is! _The chef stopped in front of the restaurant and her eyes widened in terror at the sight of the building in flames. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Jam screamed as she fell to her knees.

The staff exited the building covered in ashes as Jam continued staring in disbelief.

"What happened?!" the lead chef asked.

"We heard this explosion outside..." Yuumi began.

"...and then POOF!!" Fuumi completed.

"We have to salvage as much as we can!" Jam stated.

"Uh...you DO see the building in flames, right?" Lan asked.

"SHUT UP AND DO IT!!"

Everyone found themselves pushed back inside against his or her will and resorted to grabbing random objects before exiting...yet again. Jam tearily stared at the inferno while her staff tried to comfort her.

"Look on the bright side, Miss Kuradoberi," Sheri said. "At least we're okay and the building's still intact!"

The structure suddenly collapsed sending Jam into further disarray. Kei simply found the whole thing amusing as munched on a hot bun.

Jam looked up and noticed someone whose face was obstructed by the smoke who wore an unusual white uniform and wielded a sword. "Hey you!" she called out.

The figure ran through the flames and Jam gave chase running around to the right side of the building to see a blonde man in a white uniform who happened to have a sword, standing amongst a small crowd of people watching the sight.

"You!" Jam said pointing. "You burnt down my restaurant!"

"What?" the man asked.

"Don't stand there acting innocent! I saw you standing in the flames!" Jam pointed out.

The man looked at Jam strangely. "Wouldn't my uniform be ruined?" he asked.

Jam awkwardly looked around as people began shaking their heads at her accusation. Feeling a tinge of anger, she maintained herself. "Shut up!" Jam snapped. "Let's go!"

The chef unleashed her ryujin kick attack prompting the man to roll out of the way. Standing on one leg, Jam fired off a rapid series of kicks that the man struggled to evade. Few found their mark and Jam threw a hard spinning kick that the individual crossed his arms to block only to be knocked down due to the force. The chef kicked the sword into the air, caught it, and pointed it at the suspect in triumph.

"I win!" Jam exclaimed but felt her heart sink when the man pulled out a badge. "Ooooohh..."

"May I have my sword back, miss?" he asked.

Jam nervously complied as the officer stood up and wiped himself off.

"My name is Ky Kiske," he said. "I'm stationed in France but I came here with my unit to transport a criminal when I noticed the smoke."

"Um...s...sorry, officer," Jam said embarassingly. "But thanks for your concern!"

"It's no problem," Ky replied with a smile. "This is the local police's jurisdiction but I'll ask around to see if anyone knows anything."

"That would be great!"

After several minutes passed, Jam rejoined her co-workers with a lovestruck look on her face.

"What's with you?" Kei asked.

"NOTHING!" Jam snapped. "Listen up everyone, someone burnt down my restaurant and we're gonna find out who did it! Ask around to see what the locals know and then we'll meet up at Sheri's place later!"

"Right!" the twins said simultaneously.

Kei looked up and noticed a mysterious figure with glowing eyes on top of a building. "Um, I think that's the guy," she said. "Whoops, now he's gone."

"Kei, quit hallucinating!" Jam said at which the girl rolled her eyes.

With a mission to accomplish, everyone put their hands together and split up while Kei chucked her apron into the flames. "Time to work on my tan!" she said, whistling on her way towards the beach.


	2. All Aboard!

**Disclaimer: **I still don't own Guilty Gear or any of its characters.

Ch. 2 All Aboard!

The restaurant was gone, burned to the ground. Jam wasn't sure if every chef dreaded this but it wasn't exactly something one looked forward to when trying to make a living.

With the arsonist still on the loose, Kuradoberi asked around feverishly but was unable to get any answers from the many pedestrians who frequented the restaurant. Jam was on the verge of calling it quits when a small voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Excuse me?"

Jam looked to her left then right before looking down to see someone who appeared to be a small nun holding a yo-yo and a wanted poster. She wasn't sure if this was a boy or a girl and decided to save herself the trouble by thinking of the individual as an "it."

"Have you seen this lady?" it asked holding up a picture of a particular blue-haired girl with wings. Though, it wasn't a very good sketch as the artist drew a depressed-looking Dizzy sitting on a stool with a cigarette in hand.

"Um...why?" Jam asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm Bridget the bounty hunter and I'm going to catch her!"

Jam stared at the child silently for a few seconds before bursting out with laughter.

"What?!" Bridget asked.

"This has to be a joke!" Jam laughed.

"But...I really am a bounty hunter!" Bridget protested.

"Not that! The bounty on that girl has already been dealt with!" Jam revealed.

"No way! By who?" it asked.

"Well...if you must know," Jam said with smugness, "I'M the one who collected the bounty on that dangerous Gear and used the money to start an awesome restaurant! Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah right!"

"But I did! I..." Jam began to protest.

"They should put bounties on liars with bad hairstyles," Bridget mumbled.

"WHAT?!" Jam screamed.

Both leaned into each other's faces with glaring intensity. The wind picked up as Bridget silently flinged the yo-yo downward and retracted it.

"You any good with that yo-yo?" Jam asked.

"There's no one better!" Bridget said while performing a swinging trick.

"If we do this I won't go easy on you," Jam said.

Bridget looked away seemingly backing down then suddenly swung the yo-yo towards Jam who instinctively backflipped and began gathering chi energy in her hands.

"Go Roger!" Bridget commanded.

"Hm? Who's Roger?" Jam asked. Her question was answered by a large teddy bear that appeared from seemingly out of nowhere and latched onto her face.

While Jam screamed and tried to pry the bear off, Bridget wrapped the yo-yo around a nearby cart wheel and stretched the string causing the blinded chef to trip face first over it. Jam finally pried the bear loose and retaliated by throwing it into the laughing Bridget's head. Both resumed their intense glares and charged at each other, Jam raising her fist and Bridget raising the yo-yo. The sudden appearance of Ky, however, caused them to halt their attacks just inches from his face.

"Ladies? Let's not go there."

"I'm Bridget, I'm not a lady!" the young bounty hunter revealed.

"Well...greetings whatever you are!" Ky answered after a pause. "Now Jam, I asked around but unfortunately I wasn't able to divulge any information. Also, I've been summoned back to France."

"Aw, why now?" Jam asked disappointedly.

If you need further assistance I suppose you could contact the Jellyfish Pirates down by the docks. They have an airship so you should be able to cover a lot of ground," Ky explained.

"Airtravel? Pirates? FISH? Thank you, Ky!" Jam hugged the officer before departing.

"She's quite a character isn't she?" Ky mused.

"Yeah, she's terrible. Hey listen, have you seen this lady?" Bridget asked holding up the picture of Dizzy.

Ky's eyes widened at the sight of the familiar Gear who he happened to leave in the company of the Jellyfish Pirates.

"Um...no, never seen her before in my life! BYE!" Ky darted down the street and away from the confused Bridget who caught the stares of a few pedestrians.

"WHAT?! DO I HAVE A DISEASE OR SOMETHING?!" Bridget screamed loudly and looked down. "Oh...it seems I made a little tinkle. Roger! Cleanup!" The mechanical bear decided to disobey his master for once and ran off.

Meanwhile, after several minutes of browsing the various ships, Jam finally came to a huge airship stationed at the docks. Several female crew members came up and down the ramp carrying various boxes while a particular girl in orange checked things off a clipboard.

"Jackpot!" Jam said aloud as she approached the girl holding the clipboard. "Hey there, little one! I heard you guys were stationed here and..."

"Little?!" the girl asked feeling offended. "Who do you think you're talking to?!"

Jam shot the girl an irritated look before continuing, "As I was saying before I was so RUDELY interrupted, I was just in the neighborhood and..."

"Let me guess, you want in?" the girl asked.

"Well not exactly. You see, I need a ride!" Jam corrected.

"A ride, huh? Well I got news for you, sister, air travel ain't cheap!"

"What? I have to PAY?!" Jam asked incredulously.

"Either that or you can walk to get to where you're going!" the pirate girl said with a smirk.

_Relax Jam, _the chef thought. _She's just a little girl. You don't want to be known for beating up little kids do you? Hell, I don't even think she's had her period yet. _"Now look, kid," Jam said in a serious tone, "Someone burned down my restaurant and I need to cover more ground so I can find em'! I didn't come all this way to get turned back by some funny-looking pirate girl! Now give me a lift or else!

The girl dropped her clipboard before bending down and lifting up a large anchor with while Jam stared and pointed in cartoonish disbelief.

"Looks like we got us a troublemaker!" the pirate stated.

The rest of the crew stopped what they were doing and surrounded Jam who suddenly felt apologetic. "I was joking!" Jam said with a nervous smile. "I wasn't threatening you for real or anything like that...YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME?! she asked while assuming her fighting stance.

Before anyone could move, a man appeared wearing a long flowing coat, wide-brimmed hat, and shades. "What's going on here?" he asked.

In her best tearful impression, Jam replied, "I came here asking for a lift and this mean little pirate girl tried to attack me!"

"May, what are you doing?"

"WHA...?! BUT I...!!" May stammered.

"Go to your room," the man ordered.

May mumbled something under her breath as she stormed off.

"Sorry about that, May can be a little stubborn sometimes. I'm Captain Johnny, miss...?"

"Jam Kuradoberi!" the chef answered.

Johnny kissed Jam's hand causing her to giggle while the female crew rolled their eyes.

"We're fully stocked, awaiting takeoff!" one of the crew members stated.

"Thanks, April," Johnny replied. "Well hop onboard, get settled in, and we'll go for a ride, little lady!"

"You're a lifesaver!" Jam exclaimed.

The chef followed the crew aboard the airship and took a moment to marvel at the interior. Pictures littered some of the walls of various locations the crew had traveled to. One showed a younger May struggling to carry a huge swordfish while another showed some of the shipmates dragging a drunken Johnny into rehab. Jam walked along taking in the scenery until she bumped into someone who dropped her laundry.

"Sorry!" Jam apologized. "Dizzy?"

"Jam!" The familiar Gear threw her arms around the chef. "How long has it been?" she asked.

"Um, a few weeks?" Jam recalled

**FLASHBACK**

A bloodied and beaten Dizzy laid on the ground while Jam stood over her in triumph. After the camera that was set on the forest rock flashed, Jam turned and handed the Gear a napkin.

"Okay, you can get up now!"

"Oh thank goodness!" Dizzy said as she wiped off the fake blood. "It was so nice of Mr. Sol to spare me!"

"That's not all. Now with everyone thinking I beat you, I can start that restaurant I've always wanted!" Jam stated with dreamy eyes.

"You cook?" Dizzy asked.

"DO I?!" Jam retrieved a small green box from her traveling bag and opened it. "SUSHI?!"

"Um...that fish looks raw," Dizzy pointed out.

"Of course sushi's raw, TRY IT!" Jam shoved the food into Dizzy's mouth.

The Gear forced a smile and chewed repeatedly but her face soon began to match the color of her hair. "Mmm...this is so...good," she said painfully.

"Here, keep the box!" Jam said as she slung her travel bag over her shoulder. "See you at the restaurant!"

Once Jam was out of sight, Dizzy quickly spat the food out of her mouth. "GAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!"

**END OF FLASHBACK**

"A lifechanging moment for the both of us!" Jam stated. "So you liked the sushi?"

"It was...nice," Dizzy said, looking towards the ground.

"Now that we're traveling together I guess I can scope out your kitchen and cook up some more, eh?" Jam said with a confident laugh.

For the first time since humans had hunted her, Dizzy felt the sudden urge to cry.


	3. Unsafe Travel

**Disclaimer: **I own NOTHING!

Ch. 4 Collision Course

When one falls off a horse, the next step is to get back up. So what must one do after falling from an airship with a malfunctioning console that is causing it to shoot through the sky like an unstoppable rocket? Pray. Jam found herself in said position as she fell through the sky screaming at the top of her lungs while covering her eyes out of the fear of facing her fate.

Whether it was fate or just dumb luck was uncertain but Jam's fall was abruptly cut short as she hit something that felt hard and metallic. The chef slowly opened her eyes and felt wind hitting her from behind which meant that whatever she was on was traveling through the sky. Jam looked around at the huge metal surface and realized that this was yet another airship.

"YES! I'M SAVED!" she exclaimed. _Aw darn it, how am I going to get inside?!_ she suddenly thought. Jam braced herself and began crawling in the direction of the wind in an attempt to reach to the front of the ship.

Ky Kiske currently stood in the ship's helm while his subordinate officers sat at their stations. One of the younger officers suddenly looked up from his console.

"Sir! An object shot across the radar at blazing speed!" The officer reported.

"Was it a ship?" Ky asked.

"Unknown. Also, I think I heard a noise like something hit the top of our vessel."

"That's not likely," Ky responded. "This is a huge ship, I doubt you could-"

Something suddenly fell onto the windshield causing everyone to jump in horror.

"OMIGOSH, IT'S A GEAR! WE'RE BEING ATTACKED!!" The officer at radar screamed.

Ky took a moment to register what he was currently seeing. "Jam?!" he finally said.

"You know it?!" The young cadet asked.

"It...I mean SHE's a person I met in China!" Ky corrected. "But how did...?! Where did she...?!" he stammered. Jam tapped on the glass and said something inaudible which forced Ky back to the reality of the situation.

"Set us down, NOW!"

The ship reduced speed and slowly descended towards the desert region the vessel was currently over. As a result, Jam slid off the glass and plummeted face first into a sand mound.

--------------------

Meanwhile back in China, Jam's forgotten staff were currently regrouped in another restaurant, with the exception of Kei, after having not heard from their boss. The remaining group of Yuumi, Fuumi, Lan, and Sheri sat together at one of the many booths near a window.

"Jam's going to be pissed when she finds out where we are," Lan pointed out.

"It's been over two hours! Let her..." Yuumi trailed off.

"...we're starving!" Fuumi added.

"Do they by any chance have kid's meals?" Sheri asked.

A waitress in a red Chinese dress walked up and readied her notepad. "Welcome to The Eastern Dinery, can I take your order?" she asked.

Yuumi nodded towards her sister. "She'll have the makizushi."

"And she'll have the temakizushi," Fuumi answered.

"We'll both have an espresso!" They said simultaneously.

"That double talk thing you both do is creepy as hell," Lan remarked. "And where's Kei, anyway?"

Down at the beach, Kei was currently relaxing on a recliner chair while sporting shades and a dark blue one-piece swimsuit. She held a cellphone to her ear, chatting up a storm to a friend back in Japan.

"Well, I'm not exactly on vacation since the place I worked at burned to the ground but it's kind of like a vacation!" Kei said with a smile. "Everyone else? No idea. My boss is out on some sort kind of revenge trip but it wouldn't surprise me if she left a candle on or something since she's kind of crazy to begin with," she rolled her eyes. "My brother did WHAT to my room?!" Kei sat up smirking. "Heh, I could just kill him!"

A series of screams suddenly broke out as several pedestrians began fleeing the beach at the sight of a certain blue-haired girl with wings who had glowing eyes due to being possessed by one of her winged companions.

"Could everyone shut up, I'm trying to talk!" Kei shouted.

The Necro-possessed Dizzy turned and slowly approached the source of the voice.

"If you like him so much then why don't you just marry him?!" Kei said, oblivious to the approaching carnage. "No I don't see the problem. If you're gonna be all fussy about it-" A shadow fell over the Japanese girl forcing her to look up. "Aww crap..."

--------------------

Back in the desert region, Ky and his crew exited the ship and ran to Jam's assistance who currently had her upper body submerged in the sand, stiff as a board.

"All right, guys," Ky said to two of his men. "One...two...three...pull!" The three tugged on Jam's body but to no avail. "Okay, let's try again!" Ky braced himself. "One...two...three...pull!" The tugging continued but Jam's body barely moved. "Okay, let's...uh..."

A younger officer suddenly ran into the chef's side.

"What are you doing?!" Ky asked with alarm.

"I thought it might work," the officer said panting.

A much larger officer walked up and flexed his knuckles. "It's quite simple sir, just some brute force," The man gripped Jam's body and struggled immensely. "Okay, it didn't work that time."

"We need to try something else."

The huge officer grabbed Jam again.

"Lieutenant!"

"Well, is her head made out of anchor or something?!" The out of breath subordinate asked. "Sheesh, I thought that round loopy thing was part of her hair but now I'm not so-"

"Relax!" Ky said. "There's only one way to resolve this." The young police chief unsheathed his sword and stuck it into the ground. "God, please forgive me."

An electrical charge suddenly traveled through the sand zapping Jam who immediately flew out of the ground and landed flat on her back.

"Jam?" Ky asked fearfully.

The chef remained silent, her hair now a tangled mess and her body shaking from the charge.

"Please, say something!"

"Ssssssssomethiiiiiiiiing," she blurted out.

Ky breathed a sigh of relief and motioned for Jam to be carried in.

"So what do we do with her?" The lieutenant asked.

"We're halfway to France, I suppose we could turn around."

"But sir, the meeting!"

"I know! President Gabriel's security detail," Ky put a hand to his head. "We'll have to take her with us."

"I have a feeling in my gut like something bad's going to happen."

"What could possibly go wrong?" Ky asked.

"Well," the lieutenant began, "President Gabriel is visiting from Zepp, an insane former doctor with personality issues is on the loose, some members of the Assassin's Guild are unaccounted for, and some girl you know from China miraculously falls out of the sky! Did I leave anything out?!" The man asked on the verge of paranoia.

"Y-you worry too much!" Ky said with a nervous smile. "Like I said, what could possibly go wrong?"

"You know sir, there's a fine line between optimism and ignorance!"

"Shut up."


	4. Collision Course

**Disclaimer: **Once again I own nothing.

Ch.5 Dr. Baldhead/Mr. Faust

Ky jogged through the streets toward his house whilst carrying a black duffel bag. It had been a few hours since arriving in France and the police chief thought the civil thing to do was to offer Jam a place to stay at least until precinct matters were taken care of and the airship refueled. In the meantime, Ky had Kuradoberi's clothes washed and gave her full reign of the house which, in Ky's mind, sounded like a good idea at the time. How wrong he was...

Ky walked up the steps to his two-story home and entered to find the dining room table full of pots and pans. He peaked into the kitchen to find the same result along with cupboards that were thrown open, a TV that was left on the counter, and sand-shaped footprints that were tracked all over the room. "What the h...er, I mean, heck?!" Ky blurted out. The officer stared in disbelief at the scene and immediately followed the sand tracks which lead to the restroom. Oddly, the door was ajar prompting Ky to push it open cautiously.

There Jam stood with her back turned...dripping wet.

"Look Jam, I don't know what you...OH MY GOD!!" Kiske quickly ran out and around a corner. He leaned against the wall catching his breath and slowly slid into a sitting position while he held a crucifix close to his chest.

Jam slowly peeked around the corner which nearly gave Ky another heartattack. "Um...hey there..." she said chuckling nervously. "You okay?"

"I d-didn't see anything!" Ky stammered. "At least n-not with lustful or malicious intent, God as my witness!"

"Oh. I uh...guess I should have checked to see that the door was closed..."

"Oh God..."

"You got my clothes there?" Jam asked pointing at the duffel bag.

"Um y-yes, take them!" Ky quickly handed it over.

Jam grabbed her luggage and hurried back to the restroom. Within moments, Jam stepped out fully dressed and headed to the kitchen while tying her hair followed closely by a weary Ky.

"What were you-" Ky began to ask.

"I thought I'd cook something but you didn't have much in the way of ingredients so..." Jam shrugged.

"Oh."

"I'm joking, here's an egg roll!" Kuradoberi opened a microwave and handed Ky a wrapped up flour tortilla.

Ky took a bite and gave his guest an odd look. "It tastes like a simple breakfast roll," he revealed.

"Again, lack of ingredients," Jam said rolling her eyes. "If we were in China I'd blow your mind." She paused a moment and tilted her head in confusion. "Who's THAT?"

Ky turned to look at the TV as a particular man with a bag covering his face appeared onscreen. "Oh that's Dr. Faust formerly known as Dr. Baldhead. He was a delusional killer at one point," Ky revealed. "Apparently, and this is just a rumor, if he were to receive just a sharp enough blow to the head, he'll revert back to his 'Baldhead' persona."

"That's twisted."

"But it's just a rumor, so I wouldn't worry about it," Kiske said with a smile.

"Heh...'Baldhead'..." Jam giggled at the name.

Minutes later, the two traveled into town amidst small crowds gathering on opposite sides of the streets. A silver car with an open ceiling drove through the streets accompanied by officers on all sides. A rather small passenger stood on the backseat waving to the crowd while seated next to a huge, bulky bodyguard.

"President Gabriel," Ky acknowledged, nodding towards the individual.

"Wow," Jam responded but then paused. "Um...is it just the big guy sitting next to him or...is he like...really small?"

"What?! No! He's...he's just...small boned!" Ky said loudly and felt a few awkward stares from the crowd.

Meanwhile, not far from the event, Faust was in the midst of jogging through various streets and back alleys. It had seemed like only yesterday that he psychotically took lives without remorse and couldn't help but secretly hope to avoid human contact.

"Just stay calm, you're not dangerous anymore!" Faust told himself. The sound of a screaming crowd distracted him just enough that he collided with a busboy on a smoking break that resulted with his head painfully hitting the pavement.

"Whoa man! Are you all right?" the busboy asked.

Back at the gathering, Ky had departed to assist in the escort leaving Jam to get shuffled in the groups of people. The chef groaned in frustration and moved towards the back to give herself some breathing room. As she tried futilely to get a good vantage point, the sound of someone screaming in the alley behind her caught Jam's attention. Slowly she walked into the alley until coming across a rather tall individual with a brownish cloak wrapped around his neck and a bag over his head who happened to be standing over a pedestrian with a giant scalpel plunged into his chest.

Jam nervously backed away until the familiarity of the individual hit her. "Hey, you're that-" She screamed as Faust leapt forward and immediately dropped to the ground. Jam looked up and saw that Faust had missed her having already pushed through the crowd and into the street.

Faust laughed with an insane tone as the crowds scattered and began cutting down all those who approached him. He eyed the subject of the escort and leapt towards Gabriel's car only to be kicked out of the air curtesy of Jam.

"You are seriously unstable!" The chef commented. "Ever burn down a building?" she asked.

Growling, the psychotic doctor broke into a run on all fours and fled the scene.

Jam immediately followed in close pursuit as Faust led her into another alley across the street. Her quarry smashed through a door to his left which led into a meat locker. Jam ducked and darted her way past several large carcasses, through a kitchen, and finally into another alley. The chef looked up spotting Faust on the fire escape and quickly climbed after him. Jam carefully concentrated her ki energy, giving herself a slight boost as she jumped from rooftop to rooftop after her prey. However, the mad doctor proved a worthy adversary as he continued his sprint with little signs of slowing down.

A large double decker bus came into view and Faust took the opportunity to jump on much to Jam's chagrin. Kuradoberi took a deep breath, leapt from the building, and narrowly missed catching the back edge. Faust lifted the scalpel over his head and brought it down with deadly intent prompting Jam to let go with one hand to evade it. The chef swung her legs upward into a handstand, allowing herself into a standing position as Faust prepared to attack again. Jam sideflipped to avoid a slash and backflipped to create space. She ducked under another swipe and swung her left leg into a spinning kick across her opponent's face. Jam blocked the scalpel with her right foot and used it to kick Faust in the face again. The mad doctor thrust the scalpel forward into a stabbing motion allowing Jam to catch the weapon in her arms and throw another spinning kick into Faust's abdomen, knocking him away.

"Ha! I got your weapon!" Jam taunted. Her quarry responded by throwing a miniaturized version of himself that jumped onto her right leg. "Are you crazy? What's that going to do?" She soon found herself screaming in pain as the mini Faust bit into her leg and quickly hit it off.

Jam knocked away another mini Faust which was immediately followed by another. Faust threw ten more hazardous objects Jam's way who twirled the scalpel in her hands, deflecting all of them. The chef's confident smile soon disappeared upon hearing the fuse, forcing her to look down. Before she could act, the bomb exploded throwing Jam onto the hood of a car on the side of the street as the large vehicle swerved and crashed into a steel pole.

Kuradoberi sat up dazed as she looked into the air and immediately rolled off the car as Faust landed on the spot she was previously resting on, plunging his reacquired weapon into the hood. Jam kicked the back of her opponent's legs prompting him to fall on his back. Unfazed, Faust rolled backwards off the hood to avoid a follow up attack and spun around with the scalpel on his shoulders which cut his female adversary on the left side of her face. Jam raised her hand to touch the fresh cut mark and her feeling of shock suddenly turned into rage. Faust, however, couldn't help but laugh at the sight and jumped forward, scalpel raised high, ready to draw more blood. Despite her anger, Jam managed to focus some of her chi energy, rolled into a handstand to avoid the attack, and thrust both heels into the mad doctor's stomach which sent him colliding into the side of the wrecked bus. Jam speedily dashed forward dropping both legs into a split that knocked Faust off balance and launched into a flying kick which, combined with the gathered ki, was enough to send him through the bus and into the middle of the street.

Jam grabbed her dazed opponent by the collar and shook him aggressively. "Have you or have you not been to China?" she asked.

"Oh...where am I?"

"Answer me!"

"China? I haven't even been out of the country in like...a billion years!" Faust responded. "Um...who are you again?"

"You were attacking people earlier and didn't bother to ask," Jam pointed out.

"I did? Aw, it's like the past all over again..."

"Huh? You don't even remember?!"

"I recall going to get some medication and...oh shoot."

"What?"

"I think I dropped my balls."

"Dude...that's disturbing."

"You know, those round shiny things with the fuse?"

"Bombs?"

"Yeah, that's it."

Jam turned around and immediately froze at the sight of several lit explosives. With little time to spare, chef and doctor jumped for cover as a large explosion erupted sending debris and steel flying in different directions.

"That is the last time I deal with a crazy person," Jam said while dusting herself off.

* * *

**Note: **This chapter was less dialogue-heavy than previous chapters. This took months to figure out as I knew I wanted to do some real fight scenes eventually and I hope it turned out well. Thankfully as a result of my inactivity, I now have an idea for where I want to take this story.


	5. Dr Baldhead, Mr Faust

**Disclaimer: **Nothing belongs to me.

Ch. 6 The Trouble With Assassins

Jam found herself in an unfamiliar part of town following the "Faust situation." In addition to being lost, the demented doctor himself was nowhere to be found. Jam sighed and trudged along the sidewalks passing numerous civilians and buildings until she came across an unusual sight.

Up ahead in the middle of the street, two people were locked in a punishing battle for dominance. One of them was a woman wearing a blue headband and an unusual white outfit with black sleeves whose long blonde hair warped and struck at the other individual as if it had a life of its own. Her opponent was a tan-skinned man, or woman, with long white hair, an open long-sleeved outfit that exposed his thin abdomen, white pants, and who used what appeared to be a long white poolstick that somehow made glowing balls out of thin air for attack.

"Is that the best you can muster, Millia? I guess I should have expected as much from a castaway who no longer has the assassin's spirit," the man taunted.

"Look who's talking, Venom," the woman named Millia retorted. "I was hoping for a better fight but I guess you spent too much time being Zato's bitch!"

"WHAT?!" Venom screamed.

Jam stared at the two, who appeared as out of place as she was, and decided to approach them about directions despite the dangerous fighting going on. "Um, excuse me?" she began to ask just as Millia evaded a large red orb that destroyed a wall. "I'm a little lost right now and I was wondering-" Jam paused a moment to duck under a glowing ball that flew in her direction, "Would you two happen to know where I-"

"DIE!" Venom thrust several balls toward Millia who jumped over them and threw a gold dagger that Venom unintentionally deflected at Jam who in turn was forced to catch it seconds before it impaled her.

Jam breathed a sigh of relief and tried to continue, "Look-" she said to no avail. "Hey guys-" The two again ignored her prompting the chef to turn dark red. "STOP!!" she screamed. Both individuals froze and slowly turned to look at her. "Good. Now I was wondering-"

"Could I have it back?" Millia asked pointing at the dagger in Jam's hands who rolled her eyes before complying. "Thanks."

"Welcome. Now do you know what part of France I'm in?" Jam wondered.

"Why you're currently within Paris or should I say Pa ree," Millia answered with a grin.

"Stupid woman, we're obviously in Le Havre!" Venom rudely stated.

"Please, you wouldn't know direction if someone shoved a compass up your ass."

"Harlot!"

The two resumed fighting prompting Jam to jump in between them catching Venom's pool stick with one hand and a Millia kick with the other. "Just what are you two fighting for anyway?" she asked irritably.

"Long version or short version?" the blonde woman asked.

"Short, I'm in a hurry."

Millia regained her composure and cleared her throat. "He's an assassin, I was an assassin, our boss sucks, a parasite took him over, I want to kill him, Venom's in love with him, see our predicament?"

"I AM NOT. I just...admire his leadership," Venom said as he coyly kicked a pebble on the ground. "Well, when he was alive anyway."

"Awww...you're in love aren't you?" Jam asked, making the white-haired assassin blush. "Come oooooon..."

"Yes! Yes I am! I wanted to bask in his shadowy glory!"

Jam stared at Venom quietly and after a few moments found herself slowly backing away. "Oooookaaaaay...Walking away now!" As Jam turned to leave, a team of people dressed in tan armor with automatic weapons jumped out of hiding and surrounded the three. "What the-?!"

"Freeze!" one of them ordered.

"Ah great, Zepp soldiers," Millia said as she put her hands up.

One who appeared to be the leader pulled out a communication device and put it to his ear. "The remaining members of the Assassin's Guild have been captured!" the man reported.

"WHAT?! I'M NOT ONE OF THEM! I'M JUST A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE!!" Jam protested.

"Good luck explaining that to them," Venom said with a smirk.

"We've also found an another individual who is either an unidentified member or-" the man paused and looked at Jam. "What are you?"

"A chef!"

"You heard it, a food poisoner! Take them in!"

"WHAT?! BUT-!! I'M NOT A-!!"

Before Jam could protest further, a dart hit her on the neck silencing her into unconsciousness. Some time had passed and Jam slowly found herself coming to. The chef shook her head for a few seconds until she could finally focus on her surroundings. She noticed that she was in some sort of transport hold with small circular windows which allowed only a few rays of light. Millia and Venom sat near her, the former with her hands shackled together and a metallic collar around her neck while the latter was only shackled.

"Where are we?" Jam asked weakly.

"On our way to that beautiful floating city in the sky to be butchered like animals for our crimes," Millia answered.

"You're right, you women are animals," Venom mumbled.

"SHUT UP, VENOM!!" Millia snapped. "So how are you feeling?"

"Like my head's on fire," Jam replied. "What's that collar thing on your-"

"Keep's me from using my hair, though I'd hate to be wearing what you're wearing."

Jam stood up and noticed that her hands were locked in place on the sides of her head and realized that she was wearing a type of wide metallic frame with holes for her head and hands as if she was being put in a guillotine. "AWW!! WHY THE HELL AM I WEARING THIS?!!" she screamed.

"They're taking you to be beheaded!" Venom said with a laugh and received a kick curtesy of Millia. "Ow! You bitch!"

Millia ignored him. "Your identity is a bit of a mystery and they don't know what you're capable of, so they're not taking any chances," she pointed out.

"Oh great," Jam sulked. "I'm walking around town one minute, get into a fight with some psycho with a giant knife, and now I'm being taken to 'Cloud City' for some crap I don't even-" She was cut off as she lost her footing. "Why the heck are we at an angle?!"

"Look outside."

Jam looked through one of the small windows and gasped to find that they weren't on the ground but soaring over several unrecognizable buildings and landmarks. "Are we...?" she trailed off.

"Welcome to Zepp," Millia stated.

* * *

**Note: **Not a long chapter but simply a set up for the next one where a lot more happens.


	6. The Trouble With Assassins

**Disclaimer: **Nothing belongs to me.

Ch. 6 The Trouble With Assassins

Jam found herself in an unfamiliar part of town following the "Faust situation." In addition to being lost, the demented doctor himself was nowhere to be found. Jam sighed and trudged along the sidewalks passing numerous civilians and buildings until she came across an unusual sight.

Up ahead in the middle of the street, two people were locked in a punishing battle for dominance. One of them was a woman wearing a blue headband and an unusual white outfit with black sleeves whose long blonde hair warped and struck at the other individual as if it had a life of its own. Her opponent was a tan-skinned man, or woman, with long white hair, an open long-sleeved outfit that exposed his thin abdomen, white pants, and who used what appeared to be a long white poolstick that somehow made glowing balls out of thin air for attack.

"Is that the best you can muster, Millia? I guess I should have expected as much from a castaway who no longer has the assassin's spirit," the man taunted.

"Look who's talking, Venom," the woman named Millia retorted. "I was hoping for a better fight but I guess you spent too much time being Zato's bitch!"

"WHAT?!" Venom screamed.

Jam stared at the two, who appeared as out of place as she was, and decided to approach them about directions despite the dangerous fighting going on. "Um, excuse me?" she began to ask just as Millia evaded a large red orb that destroyed a wall. "I'm a little lost right now and I was wondering-" Jam paused a moment to duck under a glowing ball that flew in her direction, "Would you two happen to know where-"

"DIE!" Venom thrust several balls toward Millia who jumped over them and threw a gold dagger that Venom unintentionally deflected at Jam who in turn was forced to catch it seconds before it impaled her.

Jam breathed a sigh of relief and tried to continue, "Look-" she said to no avail. "Hey guys-" The two continued to ignore her prompting the chef to turn dark red. "STOP!!" she screamed. Both individuals froze and slowly turned to look at her. "Good. Now I was wondering-"

"Could I have it back?" Millia asked pointing at the dagger in Jam's hands who rolled her eyes before complying. "Thanks."

"Welcome. Now do you know what part of France I'm in?" Jam wondered.

"Why, you're currently within Paris or should I say Pa ree," Millia answered with a grin.

"Stupid woman, we're obviously in Le Havre!" Venom rudely stated.

"Please, you wouldn't know direction if someone shoved a compass up your ass."

"Harlot!"

The two resumed fighting prompting Jam to jump in between them catching Venom's pool stick with one hand and a Millia kick with the other. "Just what are you two fighting for anyway?" she asked irritably.

"Long version or short version?" The blonde woman asked.

"Short, I'm in a hurry."

Millia regained her composure and cleared her throat. "He's an assassin, I was an assassin, our boss sucks, a parasite took him over, I want to kill him, Venom's in love with him, see our predicament?"

"I AM NOT. I just...admire his leadership," Venom said as he coyly kicked a pebble on the ground. "Well, when he was alive anyway."

"Awww...you're in love aren't you?" Jam asked, making the white-haired assassin blush. "Come oooooon..."

"Yes! Yes I am! I wanted to bask in his shadowy glory!"

Jam stared at Venom quietly and after a few moments found herself slowly backing away. "Oooookaaaaay...Walking away now!" As Jam turned to leave, a team of people dressed in tan armor with automatic weapons jumped out of hiding and surrounded the three. "What the-?!"

"Freeze!" one of them ordered.

"Ah great, Zepp soldiers," Millia said as she put her hands up.

One who appeared to be the leader pulled out a communication device and put it to his ear. "The remaining members of the Assassin's Guild have been captured!" the man reported.

"WHAT?! I'M NOT ONE OF THEM! I'M JUST A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCE!!" Jam protested.

"Good luck explaining that to them," Venom said with a smirk.

"We've also found an another individual who is either an unidentified member or-" the man paused and looked at Jam. "What are you?"

"A chef!"

"You heard it, a food poisoner! Take them in!"

"WHAT?! BUT-!! I'M NOT A-!!"

Before Jam could protest further, a dart hit her on the neck silencing her into unconsciousness. Some time had passed and Jam slowly found herself coming to. The chef shook her head for a few seconds until she could finally focus on her surroundings. She noticed that she was in some sort of transport hold with small circular windows which allowed only a few rays of light. Millia and Venom sat near her, the former with her hands shackled together and a metallic collar around her neck while the latter was only shackled.

"Where are we?" Jam asked weakly.

"On our way to that beautiful floating city in the sky to be butchered like animals for our crimes," Millia answered.

"You're right, you women are animals," Venom mumbled.

"SHUT UP, VENOM!!" Millia snapped. "So how are you feeling?"

"Like my head's on fire," Jam replied. "What's that collar thing on your-"

"Keep's me from using my hair, though I'd hate to be wearing what you're wearing."

Jam stood up and noticed that her hands were locked in place on the sides of her head and realized that she was wearing a type of wide metallic frame with holes for her head and hands as if she was being put in a guillotine. "AWW!! WHY THE HELL AM I WEARING THIS?!!" she screamed.

"They're taking you to get beheaded!" Venom said with a laugh and received a kick curtesy of Millia. "Ow! You bitch!"

Millia ignored him. "Your identity is a bit of a mystery and they don't know what you're capable of, so they're not taking any chances," she pointed out.

"Oh great," Jam sulked. "I'm walking around town one minute, get into a fight with some psycho with a giant knife, and now I'm being taken to 'Cloud City' for some crap I don't even-" She was cut off as she lost her footing. "Why the heck are we at an angle?!"

"Look outside."

Jam looked through one of the small windows and gasped to find that they weren't on the ground but soaring over several unrecognizable buildings and landmarks. "Are we...?" she trailed off.

"Welcome to Zepp," Millia stated.

* * *

**Note: **Not a long chapter but simply a set up for the next one where a lot more happens.


	7. Escape From Zepp

**Disclaimer: **I own none of the characters mentioned within. (Except maybe the soldiers)

Ch. 7 Escape From Zepp

The transport vessel had set down on a landing pad that was connected to a large skyscraper of a building via a thin walkway. The three passengers were escorted to the building and led through several hallways before coming into a bare room that appeared to be used for interrogation though it lacked a table and chairs. All were forced onto his and her knees as a huge brute of a man with enormous arms approached them.

"The President was nearly killed earlier today," the man said with a booming deep voice. "Coincidentally, we have you assassins in custody."

"Hey, I remember you!" Jam recalled.

"You were there?"

"Yeah! You were that big guy sitting next to the short-"

"PRESIDENT GABRIEL!!" the man stated harshly.

Jam trembled a bit. "Um...anyway I was there and...um..."

"You had something to do with it," he cut her off.

"What?! No! I'm the one who saved him from that...Baldhead...guy," she tried to explain. "Didn't you see me?"

"I was busy trying to keep the President safe but it's satisfying to know that we have a suspect as well as her likely handlers."

"The Assassin's Guild had nothing to do with it!" Venom protested. "We're in shambles right now because of a certain runaway!" he stated while glaring at Millia.

"It's Zato's fault for taking that 'thing' into his body," the blonde shot back. "And I don't know anything about that hit and run incident you're talking about."

"Yeah! You floating city people are pretty dull for not realizing-" Jam began.

"ENOUGH!!" the man screamed and punched a hole in the wall in the process. "I, Potemkin, swear to protect this city's leader from the rabid filth like you that plagues this world! I would readily execute you three but unfortunately it's not my decision to make," he turned to the guards. "Take them to their cells."

"But I didn't do any-" Jam tried to protest and was dragged out of the room.

The prisoners were escorted by three guards into an elevator which took them down three levels and were quietly led down a hallway with several bolted doors on each side.

Through all the silence, Kuradoberi felt increasingly distraught. "It's not fair," she murmured. "I just wanted to find who burned down my restaurant and now I'm the one who's going to be burned at the stake!" she said coming to tears.

"It'll...uh...be all right," Millia said in her best attempt to be comforting despite the obvious lack of experience. "The truth will come to light, we'll get out of here, and Venom takes the fall for both of us. Everybody wins."

"I strongly object!" Venom complained.

"Oh can it, you're the only one here who's still actively an assassin anyway," Millia pointed out much to the dismay of Venom and his sudden tears. She looked up ahead and then over at Jam as a grin spread over her face. "I noticed you had quite the reflexes when you intervened in our fight earlier," she whispered. "You see that open door on the left?"

"Yeeeeesssss?" Jam asked unsure of what the blonde was getting at.

"Could you fight with your hands shackled?"

"Whyyyyyyyyyy?"

"CAN YOU OR NOT?!"

"YES!" _Sheesh._

"Venom?"

"Oh now you want my help?!" Venom looked around and sighed. "Fine."

Millia nodded to Jam and both simultaneously threw high kicks that knocked two of the guards unconscious while Venom kneed the remaining guard in the groin and elbowed the back of his head. All three managed to drag the guard's bodies into the open locker room and Millia proceeded to unlock the shackles with the exception of Venom.

"Hey! What about me?!" the white-haired assassin asked.

"Of the three of us, you're the wild card!" Millia stated. "I'll take them off once we make a clean getaway, so until then," she paused to toss him the poolstick. "Watch where you point that thing."

Venom mumbled something under his breath and joined the other two in front of a vent Millia uncovered. "I'll go first," he said.

"Why?"

"I'm not following you female terriers so I can be subjected to the horrifying sight of your filthy disgusting undies," he remarked. "Ugh, I shudder at the thought!"

"You know, of all the women-hating jerks in the world, you just come off as a complete tool!" Jam snapped.

"Oh boo hoo, don't cry yourself to sleep!" Venom smirked as he snapped his fingers twice.

"Well, thanks for volunteering!" Millia spun and threw a kick to Venom's jaw that sent him falling into the vent headfirst.

"AAAAAAARRRGGGGGHHHH!! DAMN YOU BOTH!!"

"Now, follow me!" Millia went into the vent and climbed up, followed by Jam, who was followed by a cursing Venom.

The trio managed to climb up three levels back to the floor they arrived on. They climbed out of the vent, exited an empty office, and looked around the hallway for an exit. A set of footsteps approached which prompted Millia to lead the way through a set of double doors into a much larger office.

"Wait a minute, where's Venom?" the blonde asked.

"I thought he was right behind us?" Jam wondered.

"Ugh, that idiot must have went out on his own," Millia shook her head and immediately shut the doors.

"Can I help you?" a voice asked.

The chef and the former assassin jumped at the sudden question and saw that the chair at the desk had turned around.

"You're that President!" Jam recalled.

"Yes," Gabriel answered. "And you're that woman who saved my life."

"HE REMEMBERS!!" Jam exclaimed happily and jumped up and down. "Listen, there's been a misunderstanding." she said, becoming serious. "Your people think we're responsible for you almost getting killed."

"I see," he replied. "I also know who you are." Gabriel nodded towards Millia who started sweating. "But I know you weren't involved. Just let me get on the phone and I'll straighten this whole-"

**CLANG!!!**

Venom jumped from an open vent in the ceiling onto the office floor. "Well, I thought I could cover more ground on my own but the place is just crawling with-" he paused when he noticed the look of shock on his associates' faces. "What's wrong?"

Millia turned his face around to see the vent cover that had fallen and knocked Gabriel unconscious. "We were home free and then you went and ruined everything...you...IDIOT!!"

"Ooooooohhhh..." was all Venom could manage.

Potemkin suddenly burst through the doors at the worst possible moment. "President Gabriel, there's-" he stopped and stared at the situation that had unfolded. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO PRESIDENT GABRIEL?!!" he screamed.

"Uuuuuummmm...he-" Millia tried to explain.

"I WILL HAVE YOUR HEADS FOR THIS!!"

Millia shoved Venom into Potemkin's "gentle" arms, grabbed Jam's wrist, and led the chef out of the room at full sprint. The giant Gabriel protege lifted Venom over his head and threw the effeminately screaming assassin towards the duo but missed and instead sent him colliding into the wall painfully. The two escapees made their way into a large wide-spaced elevator that was intended for a multitude of passengers and took it down.

"It seems our escape has hit a few snags," Millia commented.

"Ya think?!" Jam remarked.

Both looked up and shrieked when Potemkin's monstrous form dropped down and landed in front of them, the elevator surprisingly supporting his weight. The giant raised his massive arms and forced the escapees to roll out of the way just seconds before they were crushed.

"All enemies of Zepp will be eliminated!" he threatened.

"I can't stand knuckleheads who fail to get their facts straight!" Jam said.

The two allies avoided another Potemkin attack that involved him dashing towards them and slamming his fists together moments where they were standing. Jam threw a kick to the right leg that hardly buckled the giant and was forced to backflip out of harm's way when he swung his hand in a backhand motion. Millia jumped towards their adversary and spun herself forward in midair which made her razorblade-like hair resemble a moon shape. While Potemkin held up his wrist bands to block the attack, Jam took advantage of the opening, concentrated some of her ki energy in her right hand, and thrust it into the giant's ribs which caused him to stumble a bit. Potemkin growled and threw his fist at Jam who avoided it by dropping into a split and sent her own fist directly into his crotch. Much to the chef's surprise, the massive officer simply laughed.

"Why'd you do that?!" Millia asked.

"It was worth a shot...Heh, heh," Jam replied nervously.

Potemkin kicked Jam away and turned to block Millia's thrown dagger. The former assassin retrieved her weapon, rolled past her opponent to avoid a retaliation, and thrust her hair at Potemkin multiple times forcing him to hold his arms up and back away from the sharp blows. Millia found herself suddenly grabbed out of her attack and lifted onto Potemkin's shoulders who jumped into the air before landing with a loud thud sending pain shooting throughout the blonde's back. After her ally was tossed to the side, Jam jumped forward, turned her back in mid-air, and sent a flamming back kick across the giant's face causing his knees to buckle. Potemkin blocked another kick and flicked his large finger directly into the chef's face stunning her a bit before sending her flying with a body punch. Jam painfully managed to climb to her feet and wiped the blood from her nose.

"You convicts are stronger than I anticipated," Potemkin admitted and nodded out of respect. "But you will fall just as many others have fallen before my strength."

"What's...stopping...you?" Jam asked as she held her stomach.

Potemkin smirked and jumped high into the air, his arms lifted above him with intentions to cripple his lithe adversary. Jam simply held her ground and closed her eyes whilst focusing her energy. With her huge opponent seconds away from landing, Jam's eyes opened and she thrust her palm upwards creating a large column of flame that sent Potemkin tumbling back into the air. By this time, Millia had recovered and formed her hair into the shape of wings before soaring up after Potemkin and collided downwards into his defenseless body sending him crashing through the elevator floor and creating a loud impact at the bottom of the shaft.

"You're okay!" Jam said happily.

"I've been worse," Millia replied and pressed a button to stop the elevator. "He'll most likely be up and about in no time."

The two exited and ran towards an outside landing pad only for Venom to appear in front of them with his hands unshackled.

"There you are!" Venom said and readied his poolstick. "It's payback time! Now I'll-"

Millia grabbed her rival's throat and dragged him along without breaking stride as she and Jam continued for the unmanned airship. Millia paused to wack Venom over the head with his poolstick and put some stray shackles on him before shoving him through the ship's side door.

"You bitches!" Venom screamed. "Oh, how I hate women! You're all-"

Jam slammed the door in his face and paused to marvel at the building. "Sheesh, we're not even on the ground yet! How high is this thing?"

"Beats me, I'm just surprised we're not in space. Now strap in!" the former assassin ordered.

Both strapped themselves in the cockpit with Millia operating the controls as the ship set off. Behind them, however, several guards and turrets opened fire striking one of the wings from afar. The blonde cursed but still maintained her composure as she skillfully maneuvered the ship in between several buildings to evade the assault and flew the ship out of the floating city.

"Yeah, we did it!" Jam cheered but paused when she noticed Millia's hand on her seat lever. "Hey, what are you-"

"This is where we part ways. Been nice knowing you, Jam," Millia grinned and pulled the lever ejecting Jam out of the ship.

A parachute expanded from the chef's seat and glided her slowly setting down into a dark forest region. "Great, now where am I?" she asked.

--------------------

Back in Zepp, a familiar turbo-speeding airship collided into the side of the building the escapees inhabited moments before.

"FINALLY, we've stopped!" May commented as she happily exited her ship. "Here we are in good ole'...AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!" she screamed and ran back inside as she was shot at.

* * *

**Note: **I would have combined this chapter with the previous but it would have been over 3x longer than any of my other chapters! Yep.


	8. Vampire's Hospitality

**Disclaimer: **I own none of the following characters.

Ch. 8 Vampire's Hospitality

Jam viewed her surroundings with heightened tenseness. The dark woods seemed to stretch for miles with no clear roads in sight. The sun was going down casting an an erie darkness that painted the illusion the leafless trees were coming alive to grab her, never allowing her to escape to the populated world.

The lost chef walked through the now fog-filled maze of trees with no clear indication of where she was going. "He...helloooooo," Jam called out nervously. "Is anyone out there? I'm a little lost and-" The sound of a wolf's howling caused her to jump and clutch onto the trunk of a nearby tree. "W-what was that?!" she asked aloud. Jam looked up at the tree whose facelike features caused her to scream and take off running blindly through the mist. She fell back after running into something that grunted and covered her face in terror, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

"My apologies! I didn't mean to frighten you," an unidentified man said. "It's just such a beautiful night for a stroll, wouldn't you say?" he asked as he held out a white-gloved hand. The individual had brown hair that was brushed forward and hung out from his forehead, a mustache that extended into a goatee, a monocle over one eye, and was well-dressed in a tux-like uniform that suggested he was part of a higher class of living.

Jam cautiously took his hand and looked him over. "Who...are you?" she asked.

The man paused for a moment as if contemplating his answer. "For now you may call me...Count...S," he replied.

"S?" Jam raised an eyebrow. "You said you were out for stroll?"

"Why yes. You see, I live here," he coolly stated.

"Here? In a place like this?"

"As it so happens, my castle is just nearby." The count motioned with his hand and behind him, as if on cue, the fog cleared revealing a towering stone castle complete with a lowered drawbridge.

"That's YOUR castle?!" Jam asked in disbelief.

"Of course. I'd love it you'd join me for a...bite to eat," the count remarked.

"Aw, that's so nice of you! That's so-"

"Yes well right this way!" he said and quickly ushered Jam towards the old building.

The count led the way across the drawbridge which mysteriously rose back up upon being traversed and pulled open one of two large wooden doors that led into a luxuriously decorated interior. Long red carpets spread throughout the hallways whose walls were illuminated with countless candles and adorned with picture frames of people from various time periods whom Jam assumed were possibly related to her host. Count S led the chef into a large dining room with roast, fruit, and gold plates already set up on a long table.

"Please, help yourself," the host said, taking his seat on one side of the table.

"I SHALL!" Jam replied excitedly and sat opposite the count as she loaded her plate and began stuffing food in her mouth. "Oh wait a minute, were we supposed to say grace or something?" she asked with puffy cheeks.

"Um...no, that's not necessary," the count said as he cringed at the sight of Jam talking with her mouth full. He looked to the dining hall entrance and saw the appearance of a woman with long black hair and dressed in a light blue nightgown with dark circles under her eyes. "Ah yes, this is my wife Sharon!" he introduced. "Look Sharon, we have a guest!"

"I'm Jam!" The chef greeted in between bites.

Sharon mumbled in response and looked at her soulmate. "I'm gonna get some water," she said tiredly and walked to the kitchen while scratching her bottom.

"She's quite a bottle of sunshine, isn't she?" The count asked with a laugh. He took a moment to light a smoking pipe before asking, "How do you like the food?" His guest looked up and frantically nodded her head before she continued stuffing herself. "I observed you with a keen eye in the forest," S said which caused Jam to pause. "You are a battle-capable foreigner who is searching for something, correct?"

"Ho di u-"

"Please swallow."

Jam did as she was told. "How did you know that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, your style of clothing is hardly native to this region," S pointed out. "I sense a great 'inner power' inside you, the likes of which is harnessed by martial arts practitioners native to Asia," he revealed. "Said 'power' is not classified as magic but as ki and the number of those who can harness this 'ki' are a very small number particularly rare in today's day and age."

"And how do you know I'm looking for something?"

"You're quite a ways from home and your ruffled clothing and slight bruising suggests you have taken part in many conflicts prior to your venture into this region," the count observed much to Jam's surprise. "How do I know all this? Why it's elementary my dear, I'm a bit of a reader," he chuckled as he pulled out a Sherlock Holmes book.

"Wait a minute, you said you 'sensed' my inner power? And just how were you able to do that, hmm?" Jam questioned.

"Let's just say...I have some unique powers of my own," the count replied with a smile that revealed animal-like fangs.

Jam quickly jumped out her seat and couldn't help but point at the sight. "Your teeth!" she said fearfully. "Are you a...v...vam..."

"Vampire is such a bland term, I prefer to be called nosferatu," S stated. "I also feel it's time I told you what 'S' stands for," he stood up from his seat and bowed, "I am known as...Slayer."

"What do you want?!"

"I considered feasting on you after you'd had your fill but you'll be relieved to know that I find you most intriguing. You see, there are many an adventurer who reside in this vast world of ours wielding their weapons, using their so called abilities but you, you're different. You are like me, we need no enhancements, no trinkets when we do battle. All we need is our inner strength, our bodies are our weapons. Yes, I am quite eager to see your technique."

"Very well!" Jam took her stance. "Then prepare to taste...um...I know it's...at least over a century's worth of...Chinese technique!"

"Actually, it's approximately four thousand years. I should know," Slayer said with another toothy grin.

Jam jumped onto the table, charged at Slayer, and missed with a jump kick as he spun out of harm's way. The vampiric count hissed and swiped a fist at Jam who ducked under his attack and threw a spinning kick that missed. Jam followed up with a low and high kicks that Slayer blocked and threw a punch that hit nothing but air as her target vanished. While the chef looked around confusingly, Slayer appeared behind her and leaned his back into her which caused Jam to stumble forward into a wall.

"Just keeping you on your toes," he said with a laugh.

"Really?" Jam dashed past Slayer in a blur and slammed an energy-infused fist into his back causing him to stumble. "Just keeping you on your toes," she repeated with a smile.

"Excellent."

Slayer himself dashed forward with an outstretched fist that Jam crossed her arms to block and sent her back a bit, her shoes screeching on the floor. The count spun around and struck the floor with a fiery explosion that forced the chef to backflip out of harm's way and into Slayer's private library room. He paused at the entrance as he looked over the well-kept environment.

"What's the matter, afraid of ruining your precious books?" Jam asked teasingly.

Slayer grinned and disappeared from sight before reappearing in front of Jam just long enough to vanish when she threw a kick. He appeared behind her, disappeared again when she attempted another kick, and took advantage of the opening to appear in front of her and land a kick to the chin that was followed by a spin kick that struck the face again, sending Jam spiraling through the air. She sprung to her feet and dashed towards Slayer who disappeared before she could attack. However, Jam held her position waiting to sense movement and readily parried a kick that came from her left. Predictably, Slayer vanished again and Jam held her arms out wide as she unleashed an enormous release of yellow energy around her that struck her opponent, knocking him down as he appeared nearby.

"I got your timing down!" Jam claimed.

"Have you now?" Slayer asked unamused as he lay on his side with his head leaning against his hand.

Jam brought her leg up and slammed it downwards, attempting to hit Slayer with her heel only to strike the ground when he once again played the vanishing act. She immediately spun around ready for an attack only to get smoke blown in her face curtesy of Slayer who kicked her legs out from under her and shrugged amusingly. Jam caught herself from falling with a single hand and threw up a kick across Slayer's face that caused him to bare his fangs in anger. He repeated the explosive move from earlier that forced Jam to roll out of harm's way, run up a wall, and flip off of it to counterattack. Slayer blew smoke that, combined with the small explosion, made it hard to for Jam to pinpoint where he was. Sure enough, Slayer took advantage of the distraction and flew up through the smoke on bat-like wings, hitting Jam out of the air. The count followed his attack by flying downward, this time sending Jam painfully into the ground and tumbling a bit.

"It looks about dead on time to finish this, wouldn't you say?" Slayer asked as he charged his fist with dark energy.

The count soared across the room with his fist outstretched ready to strike Jam down. Despite her seemingly weakened state, however, Jam thrust her palm upwards creating a column of flame that caused Slayer to stop in his tracks inches before it hit.

"Oh, not my furniture!" Slayer protested as an armchair was set on fire.

Jam took advantage of her distraction and dashed through the flames striking Slayer's body with a rapid series of punches that was followed by a fiery explosion which sent him down for the count (no pun intended). She extended her leg, pointing her heel directly at the neck of Slayer who exhaustingly waved his hands in surrender.

"Want...to keep...going?" Jam asked, panting.

"No, no, that's quite all right," Slayer replied as he tried to catch his own breath. "You struck me approximately one hundred times with that last attack, how impressive!" He stood and wiped himself off as his female adversary held her stance in case of retaliation. "I must say, it's been a long time, a VERY long time since I've had such an entertaining battle." He paused to bow respectfully, "In return, I am willing to grant you a generous favor for your...entertainment."

"Entertainment?!"

"Yes! You see, the days can be quite dull when you live forever," Slayer revealed amusingly.

Jam rolled her eyes in response. "There's only one thing I want," she stated, "I need you to help me find whoever burned down my restaurant!"

* * *

**Note: **This was a fun fight to write as Jam and Slayer are two of my favorites. It was also kind of exhausting too. Fortunately, I'm pretty close to wrapping this up.


	9. Strength In Numbers

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

Ch. 9 Strength In Numbers

Slayer led Jam up a flight of stairs onto the second floor of the castle. The two entered a room that had a small round table with a red cover and two chairs nearby. Jam sat at the table, curious for what Slayer had in mind.

"So...your wife's good at this mystic stuff, right?"

"I hope so, otherwise I was ripped off by those book sellers," Slayer replied.

At that moment, Sharon entered the room but was fully dressed in a sleeveless red dress with a white collar that was cut off just below her waist and red heels. She set a white translucent globe on the table and sat down opposite Jam.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if I can find another chair," Slayer said and left the room.

Sharon held her hands above the globe and slowly waved them around. "Oooooh...aaaaah...look into my crystal ball..." she said completely unenthusiastic.

"You're not a very happy immortal are you?" Jam asked.

"You know me too well," Sharon replied tiredly.

"I hope Slayer knows what he's doing, he seems like a pretty knowledgeable guy."

"Is that what he's calling himself nowadays?" Sharon smirked. "He's always trying to present himself with an aura of mystery: Count X, Vampiro, Alucard..." she paused to shake her head. "I'm just glad he didn't call himself, 'The Sucker.'"

"Um, what is his real name if you don't mind my asking?"

"If I told you that, he'd have to kill me."

"Oh."

Sharon grinned. "That was a joke," she revealed.

"Huh? Oh, OH!" Jam realized. " Right because you're immortal, he's immortal..."

"Wow, you figured that out all by yourself."

"Heh." _Bitch, _Jam thought.

Slayer returned to the room carrying a chair over his shoulder and sat down out of breath. "Good grief, I looked through three different rooms before I found a chair! Didn't I tell you not to move the chairs?" he asked.

"I didn't touch them!" Sharon said irritably.

"Oh, I suppose they just magically disappeared from their places?"

"You woke me up for this and I need my sleep! I let you sleep in that giant tin can you call a coffin! Damn, I wish you'd get rid of it..."

"Here...we...go...again," Slayer rolled his eyes. "There is nothing wrong with that coffin!"

"Yes there is! It's all musky and-"

Jam interrupted. "Um...I don't mean to get in the way of your 'happy' marriage but...when are we going to start?" she asked.

"You see what you did? I'm trying to help our guest here," Slayer stated. "Could you kindly assist us?"

Sharon sighed, pulled out a cigar, and took a large inhale that lasted a full ten seconds. "Okay," she replied after exhaling.

"Very good, now tell us what you remember about your arsonist," Slayer alluded to Jam who was staring uncomfortably at Sharon.

"Oh right! Let's see, he was wearing a white uniform and he had a sword," the chef recalled but then paused. "Wait a minute...I saw sparks! Like...Ky's...but Ky wasn't anywhere near the flames."

"Ah, Ky Kiske?" Slayer asked.

"What? You know him?!"

"Oh yes, quite the religious man he is," Slayer leaned back in his chair and adjusted his pipe. "He didn't take too kindly to my being a nightwalker."

Jam held a hand to her chin, lost in thought. "It wasn't Ky so...maybe it was someone dressed like him who has similar powers?" she wondered.

"It so happens, lightning is one of the more difficult abilities to control," Slayer revealed. "Dear, will you narrow down the search for electrical signatures?" he asked his wife.

Sharon closed her eyes and held her hands above the globe. Within a few moments, a bluish glow from the object filled the room and several small dots appeared on the globe.

"There's one in France, that must be Ky!" Jam pointed out.

"And there's a large cluster of them within China," Slayer noted.

"China? That means...wait a minute...Was this entire trip for nothing?!"

"I'm afraid so," Slayer replied amusingly.

Jam slowly let her head fall to the table. She had traveled feverishly through several unfamiliar and downright lifethreatening locales to find the perpitrator. Why did she leave the country? Well technically, she left China by accident curtesy of a runaway airship.

"There's so many of them. If I confront them...then I'm going to need some help!" Jam stated. "Is there a way I can reach Ky?"

Slayer rubbed his chin for a bit and rose from the table. In a swift motion, he removed his red cloak and left it suspended in the air, standing upright as a dark portal materialized from within. "One trip to Europe, m'lady?" Slayer asked.

Jam prepared to depart but turned and gave Sharon a quick hug. "Thanks for helping, even if you are depressive and a slight recluse!" She then jumped through the portal.

"Don't stay up on my account, dear, you need your beauty sleep," Slayer said with a grin. "Let's avoid those wrinkles, shall we?"

"Go to hell," Sharon retorted.

"Already there," Slayer laughed and headed through the portal.

Sharon picked up the globe and threw it into the portal before it disappeared. She heard a breaking noise followed by the sound of someone screaming in pain and couldn't help but smile as she went back to her bedroom.

--------------------

Slayer and Jam materialized on a sidewalk in France which, much to Jam's relief, had no blinding fog or eerie trees and the night sky was visible. However, both happened to notice an unconscious pedestrian in the middle of the street with a broken globe nearby.

"It appears she missed," Slayer noted.

Ky was at his home and had finished straightening the mess made by Jam prior to her disappearance. His search for Jam had lead him to Zepp where a she was held briefly due to a case of mistaken identity. Having hit a road block in leads, Ky couldn't help but sigh as he sat at his table with a remote in hand, futilely flipping through the TV channels for any possible info. He was about to turn in for the night when he heard the doorbell. His guest, however, was the last person he expected to see.

"JAM?!"

"KY!!"

"SLAYER?!"

"GREETINGS!!"

"Jam?"

"It's okay, he's with me," Jam said and wrapped her arms around the surprised officer. "Did you miss me?"

"After Faust's rampage I thought-" he paused then dismissed the thought. "What happened to you?"

"It's simple, really: Crazy man, arrested, big crazy man, vampire, here I am!"

"Um...what?"

"I'll explain later. Slayer owes me a favor and we're going to confront the guy...er...guys who burnt down my restaurant!" she revealed.

"Really?" Ky eyed the vampiric count suspiciously. "Are you sure you can trust one who is tainted in the eyes of God?" he asked.

"Don't give me that condescending crap. You're no more flawed than I am, you religious incompetent!" Slayer snapped.

"WHAT?!" Ky withdrew his sword. "In the name of God, I remove your unholy presence from this-"

Jam immediately stepped in between them. "Guys, come on! I need your help on this," she protested. "Please?"

The officer glared at Slayer but relented and nodded in agreement. "Very well. I'll do it for you, it's my duty as a public servant."

"Slayer?"

"Yes, I'll put up with him," the count said which prompted another glare.

"Good. Um...by the way..." Jam rested her hands on Ky's shoulders in order to steal his attention away from Slayer. "You wouldn't happen to know where the Jellyfish Pirates are, would you?"

"Well...as a matter of fact..."

--------------------

The three materialized in Zepp just outside an aircraft hangar that was, thankfully, away from that tall building in the middle of the city. Shortly after Jam's departure, Johnny and his crew also suffered from mistaken identity as "invaders" when Ky had showed up to set the record straight. Unfortunately, the Zepp authorities were widely criticized as quote, "Morons."

The Pirate's ship was in the process of being loaded and repaired as the trio entered the hangar. Johnny and May were watching over things when they spotted the familiar face of Ky.

"Hey Ky!" May said flirtingly but then frowned when she noticed Jam. "What's SHE doing with you?"

"That's actually why we're here," Ky replied. "We need your assistance, it seems we've located Jam's arsonist," he explained.

"And why should I help her?" May asked which prompted Jam to glare.

"Actually, it was her idea to ask for your help," Ky pointed out.

"Really?!" May stared in disbelief. "Even after all those things we said to each other?"

"Well I thought the Jellyfish Pirates were reliable, so now I'm starting to regret it," Jam said and turned away while crossing her arms.

May started muttering several obscenities to herself. "Grr...come on, Johnny! I don't want to work on the ship all day!"

"Do I have to?" Johnny asked.

"YES!!" May grabbed her captain and dragged him along. "April can handle things," she told the others.

"Great. Say, do you happen to know Millia?" Jam asked Ky.

"Millia Rage of the Assassin's Guild?" Ky responded and raised an eyebrow.

"I have an idea," Slayer put in. "The main base of operations."

"And how do you know where that is?" Ky asked suspiciously.

"Let's just say...I have history with the Guild."

--------------------

Millia was currently in the main hall of the aforementioned base standing across from Venom. The interior resembled that of a normal office building with reception desks on the left and right sides of the entrance as well as two flights of stairs fifteen feet away from and parallel to the desks. Save for Millia and Venom, no one else inhabited the building.

"So here we are," Millia stated. "Let's finish this where it began."

"Yes, but just one issue comes to mind," Venom said and held up his hands that were still bound together. "When are the shackles going to come off?!"

"I didn't say I was going to play fair."

"Why you no good...arrogant little...!"

Just then Slayer and his passengers appeared in the room from seemingly out of thin air much to the dismay of the two assassins, more so Venom than Millia.

"Hi Millia!" Jam greeted.

"Um...how did you find us?" The blonde asked.

"And where did you come from?!" Venom put in, visibly freaked out.

"It is I who is to thank for that," Slayer responded. "Young people...they're just too volatile to run things that their forefathers left behind."

Millia looked at Slayer strangely. "What did you mean by-"

"Oh nothing! Nevermind."

"Long story short, we found the guy/guys who burned down my restaurant and I need your help!" Jam explained.

"Even him?" Millia pointed.

"Don't point at people!" Venom snapped.

"You're not a 'people.'"

"DAMN YOU!!"

"Guys! Look, you can kill each other when it's all over, agreed?" Jam proposed. "Though, I'd rather you not kill each other."

"Very well," Millia agreed. "Let's go, cueball."

Venom wanted to strangle his rival which forced everyone else to step in and separate the two. After a brief cool off period, they continued on for their destination: China.

* * *

**Next Chapter: **The big face-off is just around the corner...(finally!)


	10. Confrontation

**Note: **I apologize to everyone reading for the long wait. I nearly wrote myself into a wall by including so many characters but I found a way to make it work.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything except this story.

Ch. 10 Confrontation

One by one, Jam and her traveling associates stepped out of the shadowy black void cast by Slayer and into the woods near the chef's home town. The group stood in a clearing of trees with the starlit night sky providing a magnificent backdrop for the impending confrontation ahead.

"I'm home," Jam said quietly as she looked about the environment. It was hard to believe but the very menace that attempted to destroy her dreams of servicing the populace with the finest dining in the land was just within her grasp and to top it off there was more than one. Despite her trip being ripe with danger and close calls, it wasn't without its upsides. After all, she left as an individual but returned with so much more.

Allies.

"So what is our compensation for assisting you with your...predicament?" Venom suddenly asked.

Well, potential allies.

Jam frowned at the question and took a moment to ponder. "Um...my eternal gratitude?" she suggested sweetly.

"What the hell does that do for us?!" Venom raised an eyebrow.

"Oh...um," Jam paused again but then brightened. "I know! Remember how I told you guys about my restaurant? Why don't I...wait for it," she posed with one hand on her hip and the other pointed towards the stars, "Cook for you the greatest food you've ever tasted?!"

Venom stared at her with a tired expression and simply picked at his ear. "Again...what does that do for-"

"Shut up stick boy, cause' the rest of us could use a hearty meal when this is all over," Millia said, cutting him off.

"Why don't YOU shut up?!"

The bickering was interrupted by a scuffling sound from further in the woods. Everyone's first instinct was to hide behind Jam who simply rolled her eyes and led the way towards the source. The group had only taken a few steps when they spotted a peculiar-looking individual holding a yo-yo.

"Bridget?" Jam asked upon recognizing the gender unspecified kid.

"Oh hello!" Bridget greeted and turned back around to focus on the captured prey in his (or her) grasp. The familiar face of I-No hung upside down from a tree tied from her neck to her ankles with rope.

"Cut me down! Let me down from here you little brat!" the leather clad woman said angrily.

"Hey, you caught the witch!" Jam noted. "How did you cross paths with her, anyway?" she asked.

"Someone gave me a list of fake bounties and didn't want to apologize," Bridget revealed and stuck a piece of tape over I-No's mouth. "This oughta mend her attitude. So what are you all up to?"

"We're on a quest to stop a bunch of bad guys who want to like harvest our organs and start fires or something," May said.

"Combat data," Slayer corrected. "I explained everything on the way here!"

"Whatever, I got the gist of it," May replied, oblivious to Slayer's sudden urge to bite someone.

"Oooh! Can I help?" Bridget asked.

"That would be much appreciated," Ky said with a nod. "Bare in mind, your compensation will be fine dining curtesy of Jam."

"That's it?! Geez, I've been carrying around a fake bounty list all freakin' day long, the least you could do is recommend a bounty or-"

A long high pitched growl noise snapped everyone into silence and all heads slowly turned toward the petite bounty hunter.

"Damn, was that your stomach?!" May asked.

"Okay, I'm in," Bridgett said quietly.

With the newest addition to their crew, Jam led the group back into the clearing. She was contemplating where to go next when a pair of glowing eyes appeared within a cluster of trees several feet away. Before anyone could react, more pairs of glowing eyes appeared in the woods all around them. Everyone stood back to back in a circle as their prey moved through the trees hidden from view. Within moments, a figure jumped out of the trees in front of Jam and four more followed suit. The figures themselves, resembled robotic duplicates of Ky complete with holy uniforms and swords.

"Just as I thought, it's the Post War Administration Bureau," Slayer commented.

"How do you know so much, anyway?" Jam asked suspiciously.

"What can I say? I'm nosy."

A singular Robo-Ky unit walked to the front of the group. This one in particular was different from the others in that its clothes were partially burnt and covered in black.

Jam's eyes widened at its appearance. "You," she said pointing, "You burnt down my restaurant!" The machine's head bobbed up and down on its mechanical neck and a sound emitted from its voice box which gave the impression it was laughing. "W...what?" Jam asked in disbelief. The robot repeated the response promping the chef's face to turn red. "You...son of a...BITCH!!"

Jam kicked the machine to the ground and it immediately jumped to its feet and out of harm's way. The rest of the Robo-Kys charged forward, prompting the group to split up and begin the offensive with the exception of Slayer.

"Aren't you going to help?" Millia asked.

"Oh, I'm just a mindless meddler," Slayer responded, leaning against a nearby tree while smoking his pipe. "I've done my part, I figure you all can take care of the rest."

"For a being that transcends time, you're certainly useless in a crisis," Ky mumbled.

"I HEARD THAT!!"

With her target in her sights, Jam attacked with glaring intensity but found the lead Robo-Ky evasive as it bobbed and weaved between each punch. The machine jumped off the ground to avoid one of Jam's trademark kicks and held one of its arms out. The forearm partially detached and opened up revealing a weapon compartment that fired several missiles at the bewildered chef who was forced to backflip continuously away from the detonating explosions.

Elsewhere, Johnny and May had seized the opportunity to double-team a singular Robo-Ky unit. May jumped high into the air and slammed her anchor viciously into the ground, missing the machine by inches. She proceeded to swing her large weapon rapidly in a circle forcing the Robo-Ky to slowly back up into a tree. Before she could connect, the unit jumped over the pirate girl causing her to smash away the upper half of the tree in a daze. The Robo-Ky was about to counterattack but found its vision suddenly obscured by mist. Three coins struck the machine followed by a series of high speed slashes curtesy of Johnny's blade. May turned around and gave her captain a thumbs up before smashing up the remains.

Unlike the two pirates, however, Venom was less than enthusiastic about teaming up with his former comrade. _Great, give me that yo-yo kid any day of the week, _he thought. The white-haired assassin formed several glowing balls and sent them at the Robo-Ky in front of him. To his surprise, it deflected all of the projectiles with its sword and sent them right back to their owner. Millia suddenly jumped in front of her rival, knocked the projectiles away with her hair, and ran straight toward the unit. Venom was surprised by the assist but simply shook his head at her dead-on approach. _Stupid woman, what the hell kind of strategy is that?! _he thought. Millia rolled under a sword swipe and kicked the Robo-Ky from behind, right towards Venom. The assassin took advantage of the machine's vulnerability and attacked it by twirling the pool stick in his hand repeatedly. Millia ran up and rapidly struck the Robo-Ky from behind with her hair allowing Venom to form a large red ball to blow it into pieces.

"I guess this means you owe me one," the blonde said with a smug smile.

Venom couldn't help but curse silently at the reality of the situation. _I owe HER one?! Damn it all to hell!! _

Ky found himself facing his mechanical mirror image alongside the unusual Bridget who winked almost flirtingly at the former Holy Knight. _Well, this is a very awkward situation, _he thought as he smiled back nervously. "Please, allow me to handle this dangerous opponent," Kiske said much to the chagrin of the young bounty hunter. Ky maintained his focus and began to clash blades with his double while an amused Bridget watched on. Both Kys had their swords in a deadlock, fighting to overpower the other with the Robo-Ky gaining a slight edge due to its artificial traits. The real Ky sent a voltage of electricity into his metal opponent which sent it stumbling a few steps backward. An erie glow suddenly emited from the Robo-Ky and in both of its eyes appeared the number ten. The machine began walking slowly towards Ky as the numbers began to count down to nine then eight with eaching passing step. Kiske sent a bolt of electricity at the Robo-Ky followed by another which seemed to have little effect. Fearing the worst, Ky began charging up his energy in order to kill the robot in one shot. However, as if sensing his intentions, the Robo-Ky broke into a run, its arms outstretched to wrap around the former Holy Knight. The numbers were now on three as the machine jump towards Ky whose attack was on the verge of being released. Before either of them could connect, a yo-yo string wrapped around Ky's waist and pulled him out of harm's way. The Robo-Ky landed on the spot where Ky was moments before as a huge release of electricity exploded from its body. Ky took advantage of the situation and released his own charged blast from his sword which overloaded the robot's circuits and sent its parts flying in several directions.

"You really ought to be more careful 'Mr. Police Officer!'" Bridget said with a smile. Ky breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but nod in agreement.

Despite his insistance on staying neutral, the last Robo-Ky had Slayer in its sights. "Oh don't mind me," Slayer said. "I'm just a mindless meddle-" He disappeared from sight mid-sentence as the robot attempted to swing its sword at him. Slayer appeared behind the machine, distracted it by blowing smoke in its face, and followed up by kicking its legs out from under it. "Now that was just rude!" he said as he bared his fangs and proceeded to tear the Robo-Ky limb from limb, teaching it that a man made contraption should never mess with a vampire.

Away from all the fighting, I-No hung upside down from a tree as she watched the chaos unfold. _I'll just those fools deal with the mechanical things. Once I get out of here and when they least expect it....POW! Less obstacles for my lord to deal with. _The guitar witch silently laughed to herself and was moments away from getting her hands loose when her view was obstructed by a familiar blue-haired gear who was currently possessed by one of her winged companions. _What the crap?! She's still alive?! Must get away, must get away! _Dizzy reached out, grabbed I-No's neck, and proceeded to deliver a one-sided bashing curtesy of Necro.

Back on the battlefield, Jam found herself on the defensive with her arms covering her face as the lead Robo-Ky punched the chef rapidly. The machine ended the attack by extending its neck outward, its head colliding into Jam and sending her flying painfully into a tree. The Robo-Ky sent another barrage of missles at Jam who turned, ran up the tree, and flipped off of it escaping the small explosions. Jam agilely twisted herself through the air, used the momentum to flip forward, and sent her heel onto the robot's head, forcing it downward. The Robo-Ky jumped back to its feet and swung its sword at Jam diagonally but the chef smoothly ducked the attack and kicked the machine's legs out from under it. As if showcasing its own agile abilities, the Robo-Ky spun with the momentum and landed on its two feet while Jam tried to take advantage of its brief vulnerability by throwing a quick spin kick at her adversary's head. Jam smiled when she felt her kick connect but her smile soon turned into a frown as she saw her left leg clutched tightly in the Robo-Ky's hand. A pair of small laser beams released from the robot's eyes and struck the chef's leg which caused her to scream in pain. Jam fell to the ground and clutched her leg as she eyed the mechanical abomination, the destroyer of her dreams with burning rage. _Damn this thing..._

"Hey!" The Robo-Ky turned towards the source of the voice and saw, standing with the rest of the team, the original Ky. "You still have us to deal with!" Kiske said as the others responded in agreement.

"Ky, you've come to rescue me!" Jam said with a childish giggle while her companions rolled their eyes.

Kiske smiled nervously in response before glaring at the Robo-Ky with grim determination. "Let's take him, all at once!" With that, Ky and the others charged at the remaining Robo-Ky which simply held its ground.

_Heh, this should be easy, _May thought to herself.

The Robo-Ky calmly reached into its back as another weapon compartment opened up and pulled out...a rocket launcher. Everyone immediately stopped in his or her tracks and stared at the machine silently for a few seconds before turning and running in the opposite direction. The Robo-Ky fired a rocket at his would-be assailants that sent them all flying in many directions while Jam could do nothing but stare with her jaw on the ground in disbelief. The chef felt herself begin to sweat as the machine turned its attention to her when a figure suddenly jumped through the smoke breathing heavily.

"Ky!" Jam said happily.

"Ride...The...Lightning!" The former Holy Knight charged with electricity and literally flew towards the Robo-Ky. His double responded by firing another rocket that collided with the flashing energy that Kiske gave off and the resulting explosion threw both Kys away from each other. A few moments passed and the Robo-Ky was the only one of the two to stand, its weapon having been destroyed.

Jam felt pain shoot up her leg as she forced herself to stand up and stared at her adversary with a face that matched the color of her outfit. "That...is...the last...straw!!" She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together as focused all the energy that lied dormant within. Her body began to glow with a red aura that made the Robo-Ky take a step back cautiously. Jam's eyes soon opened and she stared emotionlessly as she muttered the words, "Instant...Kill." Both of the Robo-Ky's arms opened up and fired double the amount of missiles that all converged upon the chef as she continued to stand still. The explosion cleared and Jam was nowhere to be found as the Robo-Ky scanned the area. Kuradoberi then appeared, seemingly out of thin air, right in front of the machine. Everything in her vision became black and white as she struck her enemy with a series of punches, elbows, and kicks that ended with Jam hitting the Robo-Ky with a flying kick in midair that sent its limbs detaching and exploding into nothingness. Jam blinked her eyes as she felt her energy spent and everything in her vision slowly returned to normal.

"Wow, you...did it," Millia commented, she and the others having recovered from the earlier explosion.

"I must say, that was truly impressive...for a mortal," Slayer put in.

"Aw, it was nothing," Jam replied as she caught her breath. "But it really was impressive, wasn't it?!" she asked with sudden enthusiasm.

"Yeah, yeah," May mumbled.

"Um...hello everyone," Dizzy greeted as she stepped into the clearing much to the surprise of Jam and her pirate crew.

"Dizzy!" May greeted as she wrapped her arms around the Gear who simply smiled nervously at being in such a tight hug.

"Dizzy? How did you get here?" Jam asked.

"I wasn't quite...how should I say...in control of myself," the winged Gear revealed and looked over an unconscious I-No whose eyes were spinning. "I hope I didn't hurt her."

"Ah trust me, she deserved it," Bridget said with a grin.

"Hey, where's Ky?" Jam looked around the field with a sense of alarm but her fears were alleviated when spotted the officer sitting and resting against a tree. She smiled as she walked over to Ky and put both hands on the sides of his head. "He went out of his way to save me earlier, so the hero deserves a kiss!" Jam leaned forward and planted the biggest most passionate kiss she could muster. However, to her surprise, Ky remained motionless. "Ky? Ky, what's the matter?" she asked and started shake him by the shoulders.

Slayer took a brake from smoking his pipe and nudged Ky's leg with his foot. "It appears he's unconscious," he revealed.

"Aw shit."

* * *

**Note: **Whew! This chapter and five were the biggest roadblocks in just trying to come up with where to go next. Thankfully, after months of racking my brain, I managed to finish what is now the longest chapter (surpasing seven). I wasn't about to give up, no sir...or ma'am. :P

**Next Chapter: **One more left! :o


	11. Aftermath

**Note: **Here it is, the final chapter! :o

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Guilty Gear and I never will. If I did, we'd hear less about Capcom. :P

Ch. 11 Aftermath

No more than a day had passed since the dramatic confrontation with the Robo-Kys. Jam reunited with her small yet reliable staff. However, the reunion was rather awkward when she found them dining in a competitor's restaurant. Still, Jam decided to it slide as long as they devoted all their free time to helping get her business back off the ground.

Jam didn't yet have the finances to open a new restaurant and had to make due with a simple food stand. Thus, she convinced her allies to stick around and wait another day before getting their compensation. All but Venom were patient about the whole ordeal. Not surprisingly, Millia thought it was amusing.

The staff finally heard from Kei who had called them from the local hospital. She had a neck brace and her arm in a sling as a result of Necro-possessed Dizzy's attack on her at the beach and nearly jumped out of the window when the currently friendly Gear stopped by for a visit. Though, after Dizzy gave a detailed and educational explanation about her Gear biology, all was forgiven and the group left the hospital a little smarter that day.

The next day, Jam had everyone meet at her food stand with several wooden tables gathered around to accomodate them all. They were eating on the house which may not have helped her money-wise but it was the least the chef could do to repay them for their assisstance. However, the stand was also opened up to regular customers who, of course, had to pay.

Bridget was the first to finish which was made apparent with the bowl held high in the air. "Mmmm! Seconds, please!" The androgynous kid requested.

"Could someone please clear up something for me?" Venom turned and looked directly at Bridget. "Just what the hell are you?! A guy? A girl? What?! The suspense is killing me!"

"A guy, dumbass. What the hell are YOU?"

Venom muttered something under his breath and went back to eating.

"You know, for an obnoxious klutz, this food isn't half bad," May put in. "It's almost as good as Leap's food. She's our chef in case you don't remember."

Jam felt a vein stick out on her forehead but managed to keep calm. "Why thank you, would you like another serving?" she asked.

"Ah, might as well."

Kei took May's bowl and went behind the stand to prepare more noodles when her boss handed her a shaker.

"Add this to it," Jam said.

"That's pepper," the Japanese girl pointed out.

"I know."

Kei grinned and amusingly poured the contents onto the dish. _Damn, she's a scary bitch_, she thought.

Jam walked over to Dizzy and set a bowl down, not before noticing the wary look on the Gear's face. "Here you are, sushi on the house!"

"S...sushi?!" Dizzy asked frightened.

"I'm just joking!" Jam said with a laugh. "Little did I realize that you were allergic to fish, so I made you this instead!" The chef took the foil off the plate. "Stir-fried noodles with assorted vegetables and egg!"

"Hmm." Dizzy stared curiously at the unique dish. Slowly, she took a bite of the authentic food and her eyes suddenly widened.

"Good?"

The blue-haired girl silently nodded and began eating as fast as Bridget who was already asking for a third serving.

Jam walked over to Ky's table and was about to ask him about the food when May's screams caught their attention. "Must have bitten her tongue or something," she said as Sheri ran to the pirates' table with a cup of water. "So, how is it?"

"Well, you're certainly a master of your craft," Ky complemented.

"Really?!" Jam asked with lovestruck eyes.

"I definitely see why your restaurant was thriving as well as everyone says it was."

"Ky...I'm going to be honest." Jam sat on top of the table and slowly crossed her legs. "You. Me. Picnic. I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Um...well...I guess I can't refuse," he said with a nervous smile.

Venom, having already finished, was currently in the midst of a "friendly" game of arm-wrestling with Millia. The white-haired assassin was too happy to oblige since the blonde claimed she could best him without using her hands. Though, to his surprise, she did just that.

"Argh! You cheated!" Venom claimed.

"With what? My arms were crossed," Millia said with a grin. "Maybe you just think too much with your stick."

"That does it!" Venom drew his familiar weapon and aimed it at his rival. "You. Me. Right now!"

The blonde calmly raised her hand, wagging her finger in a "No, no" fashion. "Don't forget, you owe me."

"I'll never repay it, bitch!"

"You...just shortened your life span," Millia said, her smile completely faded.

Venom smashed the table completely in half with his pool stick and began swinging it in a futile effort to hit his rival who began ducking and flipping out of harm's way.

"Hey, stop that! No fighting!" Jam protested but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Venom ceased his simple attacks and unleashed a familiar massive energy ball. Everyone stopped eating and hid under the tables in terror as the red ball obliterated everything in its path...including the food stand. The dust settled and Jam's jaw hit the ground as she saw the splintered remains of her stand. The chef fell to her knees and stared at the scene in total silence as Ky tried to comfort her.

"It'll be all right! You can replace it with another one," Ky looked at the blank faces of Kuradoberi's employees who seemed oblivious to his words. "Right?" he asked again.

Jam stood up having snapped out of her stupor. Her saddened look of despair was now replaced by a menacing and violent one. With everything she had been through in the past few days, Jam decided to deal with her anger in the most constructive way possible.

"Instant...Kill."

Everyone immediately screamed and ran for his or her lives as Jam chased them over the horizon like a person possessed, sort of like what Necro does to Dizzy but even he was a little freaked out. All the while, Slayer watched the sight from a safe distance and took a break from smoking his bubble pipe to shake his head.

"Humans."

* * *

**Note: **Well everyone, at long last we have come to the end of our story. This fic was like a double-edged sword in that it was something I wanted to write on and yet, at the same time, it prevented me from writing about anything else as I scrambled to come up with a way to finish it. I'll admit though, I will miss writing on it but as one door closes another one opens. All that said, thanks for reading!


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